AMAZING discounts and handbags from as little as 78p. . . but does the latest fast fashion app to hit the UK hide a dark side?
Miranda Knox reveals.
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Miranda Knox explores Tema, the UK’s most downloaded shopping app this yearCredit: Simon Jones / The Sun
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Super-cheap products almost seem too good to be true – but they’re very low quality Credit: Simon Jones – The Sun
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This bottle is beautiful but could be close to falling apart Credit: Simon Jones – The Sun
Want an eyeliner for just 57p? How about a kids dinosaur backpack for just £1.98?
You could even get a cute pair of flats delivered to your door for just £2.99.
It sounds too good to be true, but the most downloaded app in the UK this year, Temu (pronounced tee-moo), offers just that.
With incredibly cheap products, “lightning” sales and discounts of up to 90 percent, the ultra-budget retailer promises customers they can “shop like a billionaire.”
But beneath Temu’s incredibly low prices and mind-boggling array of products lurks a growing sense of unease.
The site has been plagued with negative reviews, claims of undelivered packages, poor customer service and, most important of all, an “extremely high risk” of forced labor.
Now some critics are wondering if Temu – which stands for Team Up, Price Down – might actually be toxic.
Founded in September 2022 by Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, which also owns online retailer Pinduoduo, Temu bills itself as an online marketplace that connects consumers with millions of sellers and brands, with a “mission to empower them to live their best lives.”
An assault on the senses
Despite only launching here in April, the Temu app has already been downloaded nine million times in the UK alone.
I did the same—and it was like an instant assault on the senses.
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The application acts as an instant assault on the senses Credits: Delivered
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The site offers super low prices – but often has a time limit and makes you feel like you’re rushing to order it Credits: Delivered
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Colorful and flashy promotions can seem exciting – or overwhelming Credits: Delivered
Colorful, flashy promotions, games and messages piled up in my Temu inbox, all offering exciting prizes and deals.
And my personal email inbox is flooded.
“The key technique they use [to draw in consumers] is ‘gamification’,” says retail and consumer behavior expert Dr Amna Khan of Manchester Metropolitan University.
“When you first go to the site, a casino wheel appears that offers various prizes, creates intrigue and encourages engagement.
“This entices you to buy more.
“Heavy markdowns immediately make consumers think they’re getting an amazing deal, too.
“They create the idea of FOMO (fear of missing out), so the customer will buy quickly.”
The home page is awash with eye-catching adverts for items I never knew I needed – but suddenly want – such as a silicone utensil holder (yours for just £1.09), a plastic dumpling tin (a steal at 57p) or a ” lightweight bag for sanitary pads” for 89p.
There are special sections with 90 per cent off thousands of items, goods for £1 or less and sales.
The price of each product is marked as deeply discounted.
There are “lightning deals” and free shipping with a countdown, so you feel you have to act fast or risk losing out.
I managed to buy nine items for under £25, pick up a children’s bubble gun for £3.25, a pack of six gold earrings for £1.79, a pair of black sunnies, also £1.79, a mini straw bag which cost just 78p, a sleeveless dress for £3.67, a set of 13 make-up brushes for £1.47, a water bottle for £2.69, a pair of sandals for £3.69 and a pair of trainers for £5.18.
While paying I was informed that I had saved a total of £72.40 and qualified for free delivery.
Shipping isn’t fast — the site says 78.7 percent of orders arrive within eight days. But when it’s free, who’s complaining?
Amna says, “Low price means consumers have low expectations, and that means the customer is happier the longer they wait for delivery.”
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The clothing they offer is usually of low quality when it appears Credits: Delivered
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Offers and promotions make the app almost like a casino Credits: Delivered
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It is believed that Temu is currently losing money so that they can undercut their competitors and capture the market Credit: Submitted
Of course, undercutting competitors doesn’t come cheap and, according to business estimates, Temu is currently losing up to £730m a year.
“The prices are really low, but right now I don’t think their primary purpose is to make money on everything — I think it’s to capture the market,” says Amna.
“Once they get a buyer and know what they’re interested in, then prices can go up.”
The site grew rapidly in an extremely short time, thanks to smart advertising, encouraging users to promote the app on their social networks and get friends and family to sign up.
Despite the slick marketing and rock bottom prices, the site suffers from some judgmental reviews.
On TrustPilot, the app gets a pretty reasonable 3.5 stars out of five – but 31 percent of users only give it one.
And it is impossible to ignore critical comments.
One TrustPilot user wrote: “Worst experience, I didn’t receive my package which cost €42 and when I contacted customer service they just said it had been delivered and there was nothing they could do.”
Another described Tema as “terrible”, adding: “I placed two orders and both said they were delivered two days ago.
“Nothing was delivered. Customer support is useless.”
A third wrote: “I deleted the app, never bought anything and keep getting bombarded with texts I can’t block.
“It drives me crazy. Just go.”
Many reviews criticize the quality of Tema goods.
So when my items arrived I was not surprised that they were of a poor standard.
The black and white dress is see-through with loosely stitched seams, while a pair of sandals have cardboard-thin soles.
The pegs are so weak that I would honestly worry about slipping and spraining my ankle.
I would use a water bottle, even if it seems like it might not last too long before it breaks.
But the 78p bag was a surprise hit in terms of looks.
Still, I wouldn’t trust it as a place to store anything of value in case it breaks.
My husband had similar mixed results with his order.
The two shirts he bought are falling apart at the seams, with loose threads and poor stitching.
The environmental impact of Temu’s suppliers is another cause for concern, while there are serious concerns about workers’ rights.
In June, US lawmakers warned that there was an “extremely high risk” that products sold on the site were produced through forced labor.
The products are feared to be made by Uighur Muslims who have been detained by Chinese authorities since 2017 in what they say are “re-education” camps in Xinjiang.
In the report, the House Committee said Temu’s business model allowed the company to avoid complying with a US law that blocks imports from the region unless companies can provide proof that their items were made without forced labor.
According to the New York Times, Temu told the commission that he asked his salespeople to sign a code of conduct that spelled out a “zero-tolerance policy” for the use of forced, indentured or penal labor.
Temu’s code of conduct also states that the company reserves the right to inspect factories and warehouses.
Of course, Temu is not the first low-budget site to face criticism.
The fast fashion giant Shein, which was founded in 2008 and releases up to 10,000 new products a day, has come under scrutiny.
Now reportedly worth £79bn, Shein isn’t too happy about newcomer Temu threatening to take a slice of the retail pie.
Defraud consumers
The two companies are now at “war” in an attempt to gain control of the US market.
Shein began by suing Temu in Illinois last year, accusing them of inciting social media influencers to make “false and misleading statements” against them.
They also stated in the lawsuit that Temu “tried to misrepresent the Shein brand.”
The battle intensified last month, with Temu filing a lawsuit against its competitor, claiming it was trying to force its rival out of the US, describing the US market as the “primary theater of this war”.
Both sites have also faced accusations of “stealing” the work of independent designers — though Temu denies responsibility for any intellectual property infringement.
They say on their site that they are “a marketplace where third-party sellers can offer their goods directly to consumers” and that they are “not actively involved in listing and selling sellers’ items.”
On Twitter, one digital artist claimed her artwork was replicated and sold on Temu’s site before it was removed.
Posting a screenshot of an email she claims is from Temu, she wrote: “The evil has been purged. My artwork has been removed.
“What is it that they managed to sell more than 1000 pieces of which I did not see a penny.”
Despite the growing concern, Temu has millions of social media followers and billions of app users worldwide — so it remains a force to be reckoned with.
Temu did not respond to our request for comment.
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When Miranda’s items finally appeared, they were all of a poor standard Credit: Simon Jones / The Sun
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You can see the stitching on this dress Credit: Simon Jones / The Sun
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: newstars.edu.vn